Digital harms caused by the likes of AI and social media are now so widespread they should be recognised as a public health issue, the Royal College of GPs says.
Family doctors are increasingly treating children affected by online content linked to self-harm, pornography and violence, the professional body added.
In a major intervention, the RCGP has published a position statement on the issue for the first time, warning of the detrimental impact the internet is having on kids’ health, wellbeing and development.
It calls on the government, technology firms and regulators to take responsibility, with new guidance for parents and training for GPs on how to deal with the ‘growing impact’.
The statement, shared exclusively with the Daily Mail, says: ‘In daily practice, GPs and our teams observe the cumulative effects of digital harms over time, including impacts on mental health, sleep, neurodevelopment, behaviour, social relationships and family functioning.
‘GPs increasingly encounter digital exposure as a contributory factor in anxiety, low mood, self-harm, disordered eating, sleep disturbance, attention difficulties, safeguarding concerns and school avoidance.
‘RCGP affirms that digital harms should be understood as a population health issue, not simply a matter of individual choice or parental responsibility.
‘Children are developing within digital systems designed to maximise engagement rather than wellbeing, and the burden of harm falls disproportionately on vulnerable groups, widening existing health inequalities.’
In a major intervention, the RCGP has published a position statement on the issue of digital harms for the first time
Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, chair of the Royal College of GPs, warned against relying on AI chatbots to diagnose illnesses
It adds: ‘The responsibility for protecting children’s wellbeing must sit with policymakers, regulators and technology companies, not solely with families or clinicians.
‘Digital harms represent a modern determinant of health.
‘Addressing them is essential to safeguarding children, supporting families, and ensuring that the health system remains preventative, compassionate and fit for the future.’
The warning comes after Australia banned under-16s from having social media accounts, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch urging Sir Keir Starmer to take firm action in the UK.
The government is expected to announce a consultation on potential measures this week and the Lords will vote on a cross-party amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill calling for an Australia-style ban.
Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, chair of the Royal College of GPs, told the Daily Mail that adults are also being impacted by rogue technology firms, with misinformation and unreliable chatbots misdiagnosing patients and putting them at risk of harm.
She said: ‘Access to information has never been easier.
‘But access to misinformation has never been easier, too, and for many people it is increasingly difficult to know who, or what, to trust.
‘As a GP, and also as a parent, this is something I see both professionally and personally.
‘Whatever safeguards families put in place to keep children safe online, once a young person has access to a smartphone, parental controls can only ever go so far.
‘At the extreme end, we know that easy access to harmful online content can have serious, even fatal, consequences.
Family doctors say they are increasingly treating children affected by online content linked to self-harm, pornography and violence.
‘Advice promoting suicide or self-harm, the glorification of extreme sexual practices, and reports of unhealthy emotional relationships with chatbots rightly attract concern.
‘The relentless nature of social media and its impact on mental health are also well-documented.
‘But beyond these headline-grabbing examples lies a quieter, more pervasive risk: health misinformation and disinformation.’
She added: ‘In our surgeries, we are increasingly seeing patients who have received inaccurate, confusing or potentially harmful advice from AI tools in response to ordinary health concerns.
‘These systems can produce confident, polished answers that sound medically authoritative, but often aren’t.
‘They have no clinical judgement, no understanding of an individual’s medical history, and no ability to recognise subtle warning signs.
‘This can lead to missed diagnoses, unsafe self-treatment, unnecessary anxiety, or dangerous delays in seeking help.
‘The uncomfortable reality is that much of the health information people encounter online, including some AI-generated material, does not meet the standards of evidence and clinical reliability patients deserve.
‘There is good health information online. Trusted sources such as the NHS website provide reviewed, evidence-based guidance that can help people understand symptoms and decide when professional help is needed.
‘The Royal College of GPs recognises digital harm, in its various forms, as a modern determinant of health.
‘Addressing this, particularly with regard to children, and protecting trust in health information should be treated as a public health priority.’
Britain’s top doctors and medical experts have declared a ‘public health emergency’ over the effect screen time and harmful online content is having on children’s physical and mental wellbeing.
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has written to health secretary Wes Streeting and education secretary Bridget Phillipson after a meeting revealed the scale of the damage witnessed every day in NHS clinics and A&Es.
The meeting, attended by more than 20 senior medics in October, was described as ‘extraordinarily moving’.
One A&E doctor described treating a teenage girl who was bleeding profusely after her boyfriend used sharp knives during foreplay, a practice they had seen online.
The girl later died from her injuries.
